Here's how you stay fit during the holidays!
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- Posted in Accessories, Cardio, Functional training, Resistance training, Strength Training, Yoga & Pilates
Holidays are about relaxing and taking a step back. Three weeks at a campsite, at home or at the beach, meaning three weeks of doing absolutely nothing. No deadlines around the corner, no compelling new notification pop-ups on your screen, no boss around with the next stack of files to go through.
And doing nothing often also means that:
- you only see the gym if you happen to drive past it on your way to the grocery store;
- your running shoes disappear in the closet because they are only in the way;
- your exercise bike is collecting dust.
In short: no fitness or muscle building. But then your body starts building something else... Holiday kilos!
Resting is good
This has to be said first: a little rest is good. Exercising every day is good for your body, but if you follow a heavy physical training program day in, day out, it will eventually come at the expense of your body. Your muscles do not expand during but after workouts, when they have time to recover in rest mode. It is therefore always important to take a day of rest after an intensive workout or, for example, after an hour of heavy strength training.
The effect rest has on your body
After three days of rest
It becomes a different story when you take rest for a longer period of time. After three days of rest, your built-up muscles start to break down a bit. Your body can lose fat less quickly and will store it more in the body. That's not to say you'll wake up on the third day a little overweight; the process of 'back to square one' takes more than two months.
After twelve days of rest
After about twelve days without sports, your stamina declines, after two weeks this is sometimes even by fifty percent! Your body is less able to absorb oxygen and transport it to the muscle cells. You notice that your body loses some strength, you get tired faster and you feel less fit than before. You may also see a slight increase in your blood sugar levels and blood pressure.
After five to eight weeks of rest
After five to eight weeks you really start to notice that your body continues to retain fat. You can even gain up to 12 percent more body fat than you started with! Your muscle mass, on the other hand, only decreases. Of course, this is not a fixed outcome for everyone; after all, every body is different. Age, physique and gender, for example, play a role.
It becomes a different story when you take rest for a longer period of time. After three days of rest, your built-up muscles start to break down a bit. Your body can lose fat less quickly and will store it more in the body. That's not to say you'll wake up on the third day a little overweight; the process of 'back to square one' takes more than two months.
After twelve days of rest
After about twelve days without sports, your stamina declines, after two weeks this is sometimes even by fifty percent! Your body is less able to absorb oxygen and transport it to the muscle cells. You notice that your body loses some strength, you get tired faster and you feel less fit than before. You may also see a slight increase in your blood sugar levels and blood pressure.
After five to eight weeks of rest
After five to eight weeks you really start to notice that your body continues to retain fat. You can even gain up to 12 percent more body fat than you started with! Your muscle mass, on the other hand, only decreases. Of course, this is not a fixed outcome for everyone; after all, every body is different. Age, physique and gender, for example, play a role.
Muscle pain after the holidays
If you start your old sports routine again after three weeks of rest, you will notice that this is difficult for you. You have lost quite a bit of endurance in those three weeks and you have to build this up again before you can continue where you left off. And to rub in those three weeks of rest, you probably have muscle pain after the first day of training.
Stay active during the holidays!
So: keep moving during the holidays! Exercise is so good for you, you don't want to destroy your progress with a few weeks of rest. It is fine to exercise less during those weeks, but do not put yourself in a position where you have to start all over again.
Fitness equipment on holidays
'It doesn't fit in the suitcase' is not an excuse. We have various attributes suitable for a suitcase and even handbag format, such as resistance bands, power bands, a skipping rope, fitness mat or pilates ring. Do you have a little more space? Then bring a suspension trainer set, push-up bars or a pair of dumbbells. And of course you have to think about yourself during and after workouts: so don't forget to bring a drinking bottle or water bottle and pack a massage roller for a well-deserved relaxation after a workout.
